1

Fred had been present when Jack Genelle mysteriously "drowned" in 1904. They found his body on the boom next to the tug Jack had been running. An inquest concluded there was no foul play, which left his family and the mill staff questioning the future. History shows that the operation carried on for two more years; then Fred and all the townspeople watched in horror as the mill and most of the piled lumber went up in flames. The company folded leaving half the town's employed men without work. Many had little hope the town would survive unless a new industry was started.

2

During his many sailings aboard the Minto; Fred had noticed strangers disembarking at Nakusp and other points along the lake, not as vacationers but accompanied by what looked like settler's effects. One man, he found out, was Fred Rice. Upon further investigation he learned that Rice had purchased land above the town in an area called Glenbank. This man had in fact started the first farm on that bench.

3

Fred Rice
1904
Nakusp, BC (Glenbank)

4

There were several pre-emptions and land titles awarded around Nakusp but little development up to 1904. At Glenbank, Tom Abriel, who had a very large parcel, finally started to get to clear the land. Being a flat sandy bench, it was a picture farm ideal for orchards and gardening.

5

Abriel Home Ranch
1905
Nakusp, BC (Glenbank)

6

After Jack Genelle's death in 1904, the family chose to move and sold their house and lots to a Chinese gardener and laundry man named Sam Henry. Mr. Sam was unique for Nakusp and even for all the Kootenay. He had two wives in Nakusp and two still in China. Thinking it was a great opportunity to do truck gardening since the steamboats required a lot of produce, he made application to buy two large lots of 93 acres (37.63 hectare) and 72 acres (29.14 hectare). The southern lot was of black soil which would produce in abundance, while the north land was just a good investment. Considering few Chinese were given much opportunity to hold land at this time, it was viewed with some disfavor by some.

7

Sam Henry Wives
1904
China

8

South of Nakusp where the lake narrows, and soon courses into a wide river until it reaches the lower lake, the Borgat brothers had made great progress on their ranches. Pre-emptors from a time before Nakusp even started, Louis now had a family while Joe, who had his property on Slewiskin Creek, remained single. Louis' life was one of hard work and he never failed to meet the boats with his cans of cream. For the rest of the family some loneliness was setting in. There was no school, no friends to play with and little else for Mrs. Borgat but work. She longed for a neighbor, a church and even some of the life style she had left behind in Belgium.

9

Borgat Family
1906
Arrow Lakes Narrows

10

Borgat Ranch
circa 1906
Arrow Lakes Narrows

11

Interest in land for agriculture, stock grazing or just plain space had been luring settlers to the Burton area for several years. There still were very few landmarks recognizable from the Minto at the turn of the century, but Fred was always impressed by the Kootenay Hotel that had been built by Jack Cadden, an engineer on the Nakusp & Slocan Railway. Now in 1906, it was owned by Bill Lovat.

12

Burton Hotel
Circa 1906
Burton, BC

13

The loss of the Genelle mill dealt a serious blow to Nakusp; the company's decision to abandon the town and close all its logging operations gave residents little room for optimism. Others thought differently. The volume of uncut forest, the opportunity to develop an agricultural base and the continued growth in rail and boat traffic boded well for a positive future. This was the thinking of businessmen like Abriel, Edwards, and Jordan.

14

Steamers - Nakusp
Circa 1906
Nakusp, Waterfront